


Hurts Like Heaven

by kawaikunai (orphan_account)



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Ficlet Collection, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-02-20 12:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2429687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/kawaikunai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since he's met Aoba, he's had feelings in more ways than he could ever have imagined.</p><p>[a NoiAo ficlet collection]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Static

It happens completely on accident.

Noiz is sitting on the couch, scrolling through his coil. Aoba suspects it’s something work related, since there’s no hint of any sort of enjoyment on his face. It's kind of amusing, because despite his expression, he looks cozy as can be in his pyjamas and wool socks.

It’s winter in Germany right now, which is why Aoba is also wearing a warm pair of pyjamas and his trusty pair of bright yellow socks while he wanders around the living room. He’s sure he’s left his headphones around here somewhere. He still can’t find them though, even after searching through the entire apartment. They’re bright pink, there’s just no way they could’ve disappeared.

He approaches Noiz from behind the couch and taps his shoulder, to ask if he’s seen them around. Unbeknownst to him, he must’ve been shuffling on the floor because he’s built up a charge. To his surprise- and Noiz’s- an unpleasant shock goes from the tip of his fingers to Noiz’s shoulder.

He flinches and gives Aoba a look, mixed somewhere in between confusion and alarm. Before Aoba can apologize, the younger interrupts.

“What was that?” He no longer looks unsettled, an expression of awe forming on his face instead.

“Huh?” it takes Aoba a second to realize that, even though some time has passed since Noiz has gained a sense of feeling, he hasn’t actually had a whole lot of time to experience everything.

“That was static,” Aoba has to pause for a second, to get a feel for how to explain it, “it’s a kind of electricity, it sometimes happens when you rub your socks on the carpet. I must’ve been dragging my feet while walking around, sorry.”

Immediately Noiz’s expression begins to change from interest to something more sinister. Aoba doesn’t like the huge smirk that’s forming on his face. He starts to back away, apprehension growing as Noiz turns off his coil and steps onto the carpet. He begins to rub his feet on the floor and Aoba realizes that it’s his cue to book it.

He starts running to the other side of the living room, and Noiz isn’t far behind, a huge smirk on his face. There are moments when Noiz acts beyond his years, and moments when his barely into adulthood age shows, then, there are moments when Noiz acts like a little kid who just discovered a shiny new toy. This is definitely one of the latter.

“O-oi! Noiz! Quit it!” Aoba exclaims, just barely ducking under Noiz’s reach and speeding down the hall.

He can’t believe this. Here he is, a grown ass man, running away from his boyfriend in his own apartment.

Luckily, he catches a break once he sees the bathroom door is open. It’s one of the only non-carpeted areas in the house, save for the kitchen and master bath. He nearly slips and falls on his ass thanks to the tiles, but he makes it inside in one piece. Noiz barrels in a second later, and doesn’t waste a moment in grabbing Aoba’s arm.

His smile quickly falters in confusion once he realizes that nothing’s happened.

“Idiot,” Aoba says, “it only works if you’re actually on the carpet.”

Noiz’s expression goes sour for a minute, and Aoba almost feels bad about ruining his fun, but Noiz's lips turn upward soon enough.

“I was just trying to get back at you for that, but I guess you’ll just have to make it up to me some other way,”

Before Aoba can ask what he means, he’s pulled into a rough kiss. Typical. He reciprocates anyway, allows Noiz to push his tongue past his lips.

The kiss is cut short once Aoba’s hauled up into Noiz’s arms.

“Noiz!” He yells in exasperation, but he knows there’s no point in trying to stop him now. He resigns to letting Noiz carry him off to the bed. 

“Wait right here, I have something for you,” Noiz whispers in his ear, after putting him down. Perverted brat, Aoba thinks. He lies down to get comfortable, back on the mattress, legs hanging off the edge. After a moment, Noiz returns from the other side of the room, hands hidden behind his back, wearing his usual smug grin.

Before Aoba can make some sort of sarcastic quip, Noiz reaches over and pokes him. A strong and uncomfortable shock goes through Aoba’s shoulder and he can’t help but yelp and jerk at the contact. Noiz has the most infuriating grin on his face.

“You brat!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically going to be a collection of ficlets loosely revolving around the theme of 'new feelings Noiz experiences after Platinum Jail'. I felt the itch to write some incredibly self indulgent fluff so this came to be.
> 
> This is my first time writing dmmd fanfic, so I'm a little nervous about my characterization and such. Hopefully I'll get the hang of this soon ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ


	2. Spoiled

“It’s hot,” Aoba says.

“Yeah,” Noiz replies, as if he isn’t sprawled on top of him, limbs tangled together.

“You know,” Aoba starts, “we’d both feel cooler if we moved this to the living room. Maybe grabbed something cold to drink?”

It’s starting to get sweaty and uncomfortable. Even though the blinds are pulled, the sunlight is beating down from the outside so strongly that the room feels stuffy.

“Don’t wanna,” he moves closer instead, resting his head on Aoba’s neck.

As adorable as his actions are, it’s really feeling like the unbearably hot and humid summers of Midorijima.

“How about a shower?” Aoba asks, in an attempt to appeal to Noiz’s carnal interests.

To his surprise, he feels him shake his head, “not now. Just want to stay like this for a bit.”

Aoba sighs. He doesn’t make any moves to get up though. Noiz can’t help but smile a bit, losing himself to the feeling of just being close to Aoba.

After a few seconds he feels a hand comb through his short hair. He shifts a little, just enough so that his chin rests on Aoba’s chest and he can face him properly.

“…what, you don’t like people playing with your hair?”

“I never said that. It felt pretty good actually, you should keep going.” That earns him a pinch on the cheek.

“You’re getting pretty demanding huh?” Despite his stern tone of voice, his hand returns to Noiz’s head, gently massaging his scalp again.

Noiz smirks. As much as Aoba likes to complain about it, he always seems to give in to his whims.

They spend a few more minutes like this, in a comfortable silence.

“…you know, we’re going to have to get up eventually. I have to make breakfast sometime.”

“We can just order pizza.”

“For breakfast?!”

“Yeah. I used to have it for breakfast all the time.”

He doesn’t expect a smack on the head for that.

“Idiot, that can’t be good for you. You have to watch out for your health. No way am I letting you eat pizza for breakfast.”

Noiz gives him a look not unlike one a toddler would have when denied a toy.

“Don't give me that look. We can make something together.”

Noiz considers the idea for a bit. He’s no expert in the kitchen, and neither is Aoba. The chance that things will go horribly wrong is probably about 50/50. Really though, just spending time with Aoba is fine, no matter what it is they’re doing. Besides, if it does end in disaster, he can order a pizza without any complaints.

“Fine. We’re making waffles.” Waffles are sweet and tasty. A great choice in his opinion.

“You and your sugary foods,” Aoba frowns, used to his traditional savoury Japanese breakfasts.

“Pizza isn’t sugary,” he says, missing the point on purpose.

He gets an eye roll in response, “alright fine. Waffles it is. Granny won’t have a recipe for it though, so I’ll have to get Ren to look one up.”

“That’s fine.”

“Alright,” Aoba positions himself to try to sit up, but Noiz remains stubbornly in place, “…oi.”

“Just a little bit longer.”

“Jeez,” Aoba replies, but he returns a hand to Noiz’s head, just like Noiz knew he would, “you sure act like a spoiled brat sometimes,” his words are full of an exasperated sort of affection as pecks him on the forehead.

“Spoiled?”

For a moment he remembers a locked room, devoid of anyone other than himself. Spoiled? The thought leaves just as quickly as it arrived. Instead his mind focuses in on now and here in his bedroom with Aoba, who’s gently rubbing his cheek now. Spoiled.

If this is what being spoiled means, he decides he likes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as Noiz probably wants to take care of Aoba, I think that he's the type who really wants to be spoiled in his own way.


	3. Cold

It’s cold.

That’s the first thing Noiz thinks as he blinks, eyes wide and eyebrows raised, the icy snow melting and sliding off of his face. It leaves behind an almost burning sensation.

Aoba’s standing a few meters off, further into the park. He looks incredibly proud of himself for catching Noiz off guard. In fact, it looks like it’s taking all of his effort to keep himself from doubling over in laughter, judging by the way he’s pursing his lips and his cheeks are puffed out.

It takes Noiz a moment to compose himself. He calmly wipes the slush off his face, taking care to shake the remains off his glove.

He’s then quick to grab a handful of slow and fling it at Aoba. It isn't packed together, so it hits him more like a blizzard, with little flecks of snow flying onto him from all over. Aoba gasps and flails his arms around in an attempt to shield his face. He tries to give Noiz a threatening look, but the way he keeps trying to force down a smile betrays him.

Aoba reaches below and starts forming snow into a ball. This time Noiz follows suit. For a moment the two stare at each other, sizing each other up. Aoba slowly starts moving to the left, never breaking eye contact with Noiz.

He throws first, aiming straight for Noiz’s face again. This time he’s ready for it though, he ducks straight out of the way before faking out a throw to Aoba’s right shoulder. Aoba moves to the left and Noiz lands a hit on his stomach.

“Hey! Not fair!” he yells, brushing the snow off the front of his jacket.

“If I remember correctly, you’re the one who got me out of nowhere,” Noiz replies coolly.

Aoba sticks his tongue out, “It was revenge, for that snarky comment you made earlier!”

With the way Aoba’s acting, Noiz is certain his comment must have somewhat offended him. Unfortunately, saying things like that is second nature to him, so he isn’t even sure what Aoba is referring to. They’ve been out and about town for a few hours now, so it could be any number of things. Still, he can use this to his advantage. Very few things are more entertaining than teasing Aoba.

“Still hung up on that?”

As expected, Aoba narrows his eyes and frowns slightly. Cute.

“For the one who’s supposed to be older and more mature, you sure are childish about this sort of thing _big brother_ ,” he says, emphasizing the nickname, “throwing snow at people? Sounds like the kind of revenge a kid would come up with.”

Aoba’s face goes bright red, “don’t call me that!” He seems to be at a loss as to how to reply. Before Noiz can put another word in, Aoba stomps towards him, steaming.

Noiz isn’t sure what he’s expecting, but it’s definitely not Aoba pulling him into a tight hug. Nevertheless, he reciprocates with enthusiasm, tightening his arms around the smaller man. It’s unlike Aoba to be so open with affection like this, and the moment Noiz realizes this it’s too late. Aoba has already tugged on the collar of his jacket with one hand, and shoved a handful of snow down his neck using the other.

Noiz immediately lets go of him the moment he feels it trickle down his back. The sudden cold is shocking against how warm it was beforehand, and the way it’s melting down definitely isn’t helping. He jumps around and tugs at his clothing in an attempt to get as much of it out of his jacket as possible.

He gives up after a minute. It’s already melted into his shirt and sweater. He glares at Aoba, though it lacks any real power.

“That’s what you get for acting like a brat,” Aoba says.

“Whatever,” Noiz replies, “let’s just get home. I want to change.”

Aoba’s expression softens a bit, “sorry, I might’ve gotten a little carried away. Come on, I’ll make you coffee when we get back. It’ll warm you right up.”

Noiz looks up as though he’s considering it, “why don’t you warm me up instead?”

Aoba rolls his eyes but his cheeks turn red, “yeah yeah, let’s just head back already.”

Noiz grins, pleased that Aoba didn’t turn down the offer. He grabs his hand and pulls him in close before wrapping his arms around him again. Aoba tenses at first but he melts into the embrace. Noiz nuzzles against his cheeks, both their faces are cold and somewhat numb at this point, so it feels kind of weird. Noiz doesn’t think it’s too bad though, and he gives Aoba a quick kiss on the cheek.

He also shoves him into a nearby pile of snow. His laughter gets cut short once Aoba grabs his arm and yanks him right in as well.


	4. paper cut + pinch

**Paper Cut**

 

 

Noiz leans back against the chair in an attempt to get more comfortable. It doesn’t make much of a difference, considering he’s currently sitting on a dining room chair instead of an office chair.

 

He has some overtime work and he absolutely refuses to be at the company any longer than needed. Normally he’d be working at his own desk at home, but the desktop is covered in other documents that he’s ignoring at the moment. Aoba keeps nagging at him to tidy the area up, but he’s not going to worry about it until he has no more surfaces to migrate to.

 

Besides, from the dining table he’s got a great view of Aoba, who’s lazing around on the nearby couch.

 

Noiz reaches into his open briefcase, blindly feeling through the contents for a folder. Once he’s located it he pulls it out, only to slice the tip of his pinkie on a stray sheet of loose leaf.

 

He curses as he retracts his arm; the sudden sting is sharp and intense. He holds his hand up, watching as a line of red appears, blood beginning to trickle down his finger.

 

“Noiz? You okay?” Concerned, Aoba walks over to see what the commotion is about.

 

“It’s fine,” Noiz says, though the pain is less than comfortable. Aoba winces in sympathy once he sees the cut. It looks deep.

 

“That’s a pretty nasty looking paper cut. I’ll go get you a band aid.”

 

“Thanks,” in the meanwhile, Noiz wipes at the wound with a handkerchief.

 

Aoba reaches into a cabinet and pulls out a box of bandages. Once he takes a look at it he stops in his tracks. That’s right. He remembers having asked Noiz to pick them up last time they ran out of them. He covers his mouth, but he can’t muffle the laughter that escapes regardless.

 

Noiz looks at him in confusion, “what’s so funny?”

 

“Nothing,” Aoba says, though the tremor in his voice betrays him, “just… I was just appreciating how cute your tastes are!”

 

Aoba holds up the small box of band aids. The colourful packaging boasts samples of the various bandage designs, all of which are adorned with cartoon rabbits.

 

Noiz frowns, and to Aoba’s delight, he even starts to turn a little red.

 

“What’re you getting all excited for? Aren’t you the one who pointed out that I liked them in the first place?”

 

Aoba’s trying to keep himself from smiling too hard when he returns to Noiz’s side, “don’t be like that you baby. Here,” he opens the package and carefully wraps a bandage over the cut. Noiz still looks grumpy, so Aoba pulls his hand closer and kisses the injury he’s just dressed, “there, I even kissed it better. Happy now?”

 

Noiz grumbles but he doesn’t look all that displeased anymore. Aoba laughs and ruffles his hair. In the end Noiz gives in and smiles too.

 

“You know, there’s something else you can kiss better-“

 

“Finish your work!”

 

 

 

**Pinch**

 

 

“Why not? No one will catch us if I lock the door.”

 

“Noiz, for the last time, no!”

 

Noiz clicks his tongue in annoyance and leans against the wall, taking a slow sip of coffee. For a moment, both of them are silent.

 

“You can top.”

 

“ _Noiz_!” Aoba runs his hand through his bangs in frustration, “we are _not_ doing anything like that at work!”

 

Before Noiz can plead his case further, a coworker enters the break room, stopping him short. He knows his Aoba will be less than pleased with him if he tries to show any sort of PDA in the office, even though he doesn’t think it’s a big deal at all. Honestly, it’s hard to hold back when Aoba looks so good in a suit.

 

After a quick greeting, their coworker turns his attention to the coffee machine and promptly leaves once he’s got his caffeine fix.

 

Aoba glances at his coil, “it’s about time to head back now. You’ve got a big meeting to prepare for.”

 

Noiz closes his eyes and takes another sip of coffee, “got it, I’m just going to finish this off first.”

 

“Alright, I’ll see you in the office then,” Aoba tosses his Styrofoam cup in the trash before quickly scanning the room.

 

Noiz grunts in response while Aoba makes his way out, passing him by. Suddenly he feels Aoba’s hand brush against his backside and squeeze.

 

Before he can even respond, the older man is already halfway out the door. He pauses at the door before looking over his shoulder, “…just wait until we get home, impatient brat.” And then he’s gone.

 

After what just happened sinks in, Noiz snickers.

 

“I’m the impatient one here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these are super short so I posted them together! I guess it kind of worked out since they both somehow ended up work related. I'll have a normal length one posted in a few days


	5. Sick

“Ren, could you pull up the next step?” Aoba calls over his shoulder while he slides freshly cut veggies into a pot.

 

“The next step calls for the addition of the stock,” Ren says as he pads over.

 

“Alright, thanks Ren,” just as he reaches for the stock, a loud groan emanates the air. Aoba sighs while his allmate looks at him inquisitively.

 

“It seems that Noiz’s condition hasn’t improved.” 

 

Before Aoba can respond, another groan drifts over.

 

“I’m gonna go check on him, wait here Ren,” he says as he turns the stove off and heads to the bedroom.

 

There, Noiz is splayed over the bed, paler than usual and nose red and irritated.

 

“Are the meds starting to set in?”

 

“Doesn’t feel like it. Everything hurts.”

 

If it had been anyone else, the scene would be slightly overdramatic. Noiz really truly looks like he’s suffering though. Aoba wonders how he survived flus before this.

 

Aoba reaches over and rests his palm over Noiz’s forehead, “ah, you’re still pretty warm,” he murmurs in concern.

 

Noiz eases into the touch and closes his eyes. At the moment, any contact with his skin creates a painful and almost tingly sensation. Even the covers on top of him are causing a lot of discomfort, but somehow Aoba’s warmth makes it bearable.

 

Aoba eventually pulls his hand away, leaving Noiz dissatisfied. 

 

“I’m still making the soup right now, but is there anything else I can do for you?” Aoba asks.

 

Noiz opens his eyes and stares at him for a moment, “…you could put on a nurse outfit and give me some top notch service.“

 

“Have a nice nap,” Aoba says and promptly leaves the bedroom. 

 

Noiz rolls onto his side, frowning at his body’s protesting pain from doing so. This is the first thing he’s caught since the incident at Platinum Jail. Before, a cold wasn’t much more than a minor inconvenience, save for runny noses. Now that he can feel every stiff muscle and achey joint, along with the throbbing headaches and chills… it's terrible. Not to mention it leaves him feeling weak and unable to look after himself. Even worse, Aoba is taking care of him, when it’s supposed to be the other way around.

 

He tries not to let it bother him too much. Instead, he focuses on enjoying the attention and care that Aoba is willing to give to him. 

 

Besides, if he can convince him to get into a nurse outfit, this ailment will have at least been useful for something. With that image in mind, he manages to drift off. 

 

 

—

 

 

He wakes up a few hours later to Aoba tiptoeing around the bedroom. His throat feels raw and dry- clearly the medicine has worn off.

 

“Aoba,” he says, his voice deep and groggy.

 

“Ah, sorry, did I wake you?” Aoba gently sets down the tray he’s holding onto the nightstand.

 

Noiz shakes his head and lifts himself up. He sees that Aoba’s brought him some medicine, water, and a bowl of soup. He immediately downs the pills and finishes off the glass of water. He then makes a face when he looks at the soup.

 

“I’m not hungry,” if anything, his stomach feels more than ready to reject even the water he just drank.

 

“You have to eat something if you want to get better.”

 

Noiz leans back against the headboard, “I’ll eat if you feed me in uniform.”

 

Aoba groans. Usually Noiz waits before bringing this sort of thing up again after he gets turned down. Whether it’s the illness throwing off his game, or if he just really wants to see him in a nurse outfit, Aoba is unsure. Either way, it’s all he’s been going on about since he started showing symptoms last night.

 

“I’m not putting on a nurse outfit.”

 

“Why not?” Noiz asks, “are you not into it?”

 

“That’s not it Noiz, you need your rest and we both know you’ll just get worked up if I put that on!”

 

He shrugs, “it’s good to sweat a little when you’re sick right.”

 

“Noiz.”

 

Noiz crosses his arms, “fine. Whatever,” dejected, he reaches for the soup and starts eating, despite his stomach’s protests.

 

“Noiz,” Aoba says, guilt creeping up on him. He knows that he’s in the right, but he hates to see Noiz look so down when he’s already so sick.

 

Later that night, after Noiz empties the contents of his stomach, Aoba decides he should do something to cheer up his miserable boyfriend. He decides that in this case, a compromise is the way to go.

 

 

—

 

 

When Noiz wakes up the next morning, the first thing he sees is the glaring time on his alarm clock. The second thing he sees is Aoba, who seems like he was in the midst of checking on him.

 

Once he blinks the sleep out of his eyes, Noiz squints as he takes a closer look at Aoba’s appearance.

 

“What the hell are you wearing?”

 

“Well, you said you wanted nurse Aoba right? This is what they wear,” Aoba huffs.

 

For a moment, Noiz is rendered speechless. He’s not sure if Aoba is toying with him to make a point, or if he is genuinely making a sincere effort.

 

In the end, he smiles, impressed by the way Aoba has managed to pull off his request.

 

“Hm, is this your way of outsmarting me?”

 

“I’m not trying to outsmart you or anything. I just need to make sure you’ll stay rested, so this way we both get what we want,” _sort of_ , he thinks as an afterthought.

 

Noiz’s eyes roam over him, taking in the sight of Aoba in a pair of blue hospital scrubs.

 

“Actually, this isn’t too bad.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“The realism isn’t quite what I had in mind, but I can get into this. You can make anything look sexy.”

 

“Wha-“ Aoba stares at him, eyes wide and uncomprehending, “how is this outfit sexy in any way?! You really are just a perverted brat!” 

 

Noiz’s laugh quickly devolves into a cough, and Aoba rolls his eyes before handing him a glass of water he’d had at the ready. 

 

“…if you hurry up and get better, we can have some fun,” Aoba feels the heat rising to his cheeks, “I’ll even put on the other nurse outfit I got,” he says quietly at the end, before the embarrassment becomes too much and he bolts out of the room.

 

Noiz blinks, too surprised to come up with a response on the spot. He proceeds to become a star patient and recovers in record time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to thank you all so much for the feedback you guys have given me, whether it's by comments or kudos. I'm honestly amazed by how much I've gotten and so grateful, so really, thank you, it's really encouraging.


	6. Beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another chapter made of multiple small ficlets, this time though they tie into one setting together.

** Tight **

 

“We’re going on vacation,” Noiz says one day, seemingly out of nowhere.

 

“What?” Aoba replies.

 

Two weeks later they’re on the coast of Sardinia in a luxurious beach house. Aoba is trying to keep himself from thinking about how much the transportation and accommodation must have cost. It had been impossible to say no though, once Noiz had admitted that he’d been planning on taking them to a beach.

 

Aoba returns to the unfinished task of unpacking their clothes and supplies for the week. He’s in the midst of unzipping the second suitcase when Noiz steps out of the master bath.

 

Aoba looks up and is rendered unable to speak for a moment, “...oh my god, are you serious?”

 

“What do you think?” Noiz says coolly, and Aoba just wants to bury his face in his hands.

 

Of course Noiz would buy a skin-tight, black speedo.

 

“…you never cease to amaze me,” Aoba finally says. Judging by Noiz’s self satisfied smirk, he’s pleased with the reaction.

 

“I could get you one too, if you’d like.”

 

“I’m fine, really,” Aoba says, trying his best not to roll his eyes. He zeros in on the suit and takes note of how it’s clinging to Noiz’s body, “it doesn’t even look all that comfortable.”

 

Noiz takes on a more contemplative expression while tugging at the hem of the suit, “it’s kind of squeezing at my skin to be honest.”

 

“Doesn’t that mean it’s too tight? Maybe you got a size too small.”

 

Noiz shrugs. The snug feeling of the suit doesn’t actually bother him all that much. If anything, he kind of likes the sensation.

 

“It’s fine.” 

 

Before Aoba can say anything in response, he turns around to give him a perfect view of his backside, “I thought this size looked best.”

 

Aoba opens his mouth but closes it again. He was about to fire back something rude, but really, Noiz does look good in that swimsuit. Irritatingly so.

 

Predictably, Noiz notices his silence.

 

“You’re speechless. How cute.”

 

“Shut up!” Before Noiz can gloat any further, Aoba reaches into the suitcase he’d nearly forgotten. He walks over purposefully and shoves a giant, floppy, white sun hat over Noiz’s sneer.

 

“There,” Aoba says, “much better.”

 

The speedo itself doesn’t look any different, but the addition of the sun hat has taken Noiz from attractive to dorky in no time at all. Much more fitting really, in Aoba’s opinion.

 

“What is this?” Noiz asks deadpanned.

 

“I got one for each of us, to keep the sun out of our eyes,” which isn’t a total lie. He also may have thought that Noiz would look kind of hilarious in it. In a good way though.

 

To his surprise, Noiz doesn’t move to take it off, “well, since it’s from you I guess I’ll gladly accept. Though I do question your taste.”

 

Aoba playfully jabs him in the waist, “oh yeah? Say that again after I show you the bunny inner tube.”

 

With the way Noiz’s eyes widen, Aoba knows he isn’t going to hear any more complaints.

 

 

 

**Slimy**

 

“Hold on,” Aoba says, “where exactly do you think you’re going?”

 

Noiz stares back blankly, the door of the beach house already halfway open. He shuts it and turns to face Aoba, “…outside, where else?”

 

Aoba tuts and shakes his head before tossing a bottle over. Noiz manages to catch it and read over the label. Sunscreen. 

 

He flips the cap open and wrinkles his nose at the strange smell.

 

“Do I really need this?”

 

“Unless you want to get sunburnt,” Aoba says, “come on Noiz, if we’re gonna spend the day out in the sun you have to put some on.”

 

“Have you put any on?”

 

“Not yet, I was about to before you started running out the door,” he says while shoving some towels into a bag.

 

Noiz gives him a quick once over. He’s wearing nothing but his swim trunks and a pair of flip flops. 

 

“I’ll help you put it on,” 

 

Before Aoba can protest, Noiz has already walked up to him and squeezed some onto his hand.

 

There’s a moment of comfortable silence while Noiz slowly rubs it against his back. On the one hand, it’s kind of sticky, on the other it’s also weirdly slippery as well. It makes his mind start to wander.

 

“This stuff is pretty slimy, think it could work as lube?”

 

Aoba whips around and snatches the bottle out of his hand, “what are you saying?! No! We already have lube so why would you-” he sighs and takes a moment to rub one of his temples, “okay, you’ve lost your sunscreen application privileges.”

 

Noiz opens his mouth to respond but Aoba puts his hand up before he can, “and I’m not putting it on you either.”

 

 

 

 

**Warm**

 

“Alright, can you guys watch our stuff?” Aoba asks, petting Ren while he sits on the blanket they’ve set down.

 

“I will do my best,” Ren responds seriously while wagging his tail. Several Midori cubes are hopping around the bags and chairs they’ve brought along.

 

When Aoba turns to ask Noiz what he wants to do first, he’s surprised to find him staring at his feet.

 

“Noiz?” Aoba asks. Noiz turns to him but Aoba can’t exactly see the expression on his face since he’s wearing a big pair of sunglasses. As if his outfit wasn’t silly enough with the sunhat.

 

“It’s really warm,” Noiz replies, and it takes a second for Aoba to realize that he’s talking about the sand.

 

“Sand tends to retain heat, making sandy surfaces uncomfortable to stand on,” Ren says.

 

Noiz hums in response and starts kneading his feet into it experimentally. Aoba thinks that it’s ridiculously adorable how happy something so simple can make him. That’s only because Aoba knows him well enough to tell that he is happy, since his face is mostly blank other than a small, upwards curve of his lips.

 

“I’ll just start blowing this up,” Aoba says, holding up the still deflated inner tube, leaving Noiz to enjoy the moment.

 

 

 

**Sting**

  

Noiz stares up at the bright sky, limbs lazily hanging off the edge of the inner tube. It’s white and un-patterned, other than the cute eyes, nose, mouth, and tiny rubber rabbit ears attached. Where Aoba manages to find these things, he’ll never know.

 

Aoba isn’t too far off, swimming always within a few metres of him.

 

Noiz beckons him over when he manages to make eye contact, and Aoba paddles over until his hands are resting on the tube.

 

“Having fun? Lazy,” Aoba lightly smacks Noiz on the shoulder.

 

“It’s not bad,” Noiz admits, “it would be better if you didn’t keep swimming off.”

 

“I keep telling you to join me,” Aoba says, “you’re the one who doesn’t want to move.”

 

“We’re here to relax,” Noiz says, and gets an eye roll in return.

 

“Just admit that you’re lazy,” Aoba pauses for a moment, “or maybe, that you just don’t know how to swim.”

 

“I can swim,” Noiz says, this time with a hint of irritation in his voice, “I had to take lessons when I was younger.”

 

“Oh really now?” Aoba replies. His eyes shimmer with a glint of mischief, and before Noiz has the chance to get into defensive position, Aoba flips the tube over.

 

Noiz hits the water with a splash and instantly feels the burn of saltwater in his eyes, nose, and throat. 

 

He comes up a second later, coughing and eyes still stinging, ready to get revenge, only to find that Aoba is already swimming off with the tube.

 

“You have to swim for it if you want it back!” Aoba calls out to him, and Noiz’s annoyance quickly turns to determination.

 

It just looks like he’ll have to show Aoba the consequences of messing with someone who took advanced, private swimming lessons.

 

 

 

 

**Scratchy**

 

“Don’t move, okay.”

 

“Yeah,” Noiz replies, licking his lips.

 

Aoba has a huge grin on his face. While Noiz can’t quite figure out the appeal of burying someone in the sand, as long as Aoba is enjoying himself he can’t bring himself to mind.

 

Even if it is starting to get quite hot under the piles of sand above him. He’s also pretty sure that some has gotten into his swimsuit. While the grainy texture is somewhat irritating and scratchy against his skin, with the way the sun’s warmth is beating down, it’s comfortable enough that he could fall asleep.

 

“Alright,” Aoba says, standing up from his previously crouching position by Noiz’s legs, “wait right there,” he runs off before Noiz has the chance to answer. Well, it’s not like he can easily move right now anyway.

 

Aoba comes running back with his coil. Noiz can hear the distinct sounds of the camera going off.

 

He manages to give Aoba a look somewhere in between indifference and confusion. Aoba sits down next to his head and angles his coil towards him.

 

“Not bad,” Noiz says. Aoba has shaped the sand around him into the form of a mermaid tail and body. “I’m surprised it doesn’t look like shit.”

 

Aoba pinches his cheek for that, “shut up.”

 

Noiz suddenly flails his limbs around and wiggles his way out of the sand. Aoba coughs and smacks him on the shoulder, “oi, at least warn me! I could’ve gotten some of that in my eye!”

 

“It’s my turn,” Noiz says, “I’ve been stuck here for hours.”

 

“More like fifteen minutes,” Aoba mumbles but he acquiesces and lays down in the sand.

 

When Noiz’s attempt to make a rabbit shape around Aoba fails, he settles for moulding the sand to the form of his favourite body part, which he proudly shows Aoba after he’s taken a photo.

 

Luckily for Noiz, Aoba’s struggle to free himself from the phallic sand fortress gives him a head start once he starts yelling and chasing after him.

 

 

 

 

**Guilt**

  

“And this one I actually found while we were swimming, by the shore,” Aoba gently rotates the small, orange conch shell he’s holding, “so what do you think?”

 

“I think that Tae san will appreciate the souvenirs,” Ren replies, as he looks over the small collection of shells that Aoba has acquired. It’s a little pile spread out over the dining room table.

 

“You know, we could just buy her a real souvenir,” Noiz responds from the kitchen, taking a swig of water.

 

“Granny doesn’t like it when I spend money on her,” Aoba says, waving Noiz off, “besides, these are really pretty, I’m sure she’ll like them. Though,” he adds, a sour note hitting his voice, “it would be even nicer if I had that really big one I found.”

 

“I already apologized didn’t I?” Noiz says incredulously, “it was just one shell. I didn’t mean it.”

 

“Yeah, just one shell, only it was the biggest and nicest one I found all day,” Aoba says.

 

“Aoba, are you referring to the shell that Noiz crushed?” Ren asks, for clarification, though Noiz’s grip on the cup of water tightens in annoyance.

 

“P! P! Noiz broke it!” Midori chimes in, “with his bare hands!”

 

“Quit that,” Noiz says.

 

“That’s right,” Aoba huffs, “I hand it to him for one second thinking he can take care of it, and this is what happens.”

 

“I get it,” Noiz grumbles, a guilty look on his face, “I’ll go find you another one,” he heads out the door and from the window, Aoba can see that he’s headed straight towards the beach again.

 

“Maybe I took the teasing a little too far,” Aoba says, remorse starting to creep in. Well he had been a little miffed about the whole thing, but he hadn’t planned on actually bullying him into finding another shell, “…I’m gonna go help him,” Aoba stands up and pushes his chair in, “you guys take care of the house okay?”

 

“Understood,” Ren says, and Aoba runs out the door, calling Noiz’s name.

 

 

 

**Dry**

  

“This is nice,” Aoba says while stretching his arms out.

 

Noiz nods in agreement and takes one of Aoba’s hands, slipping their fingers together. It’s a lot cooler and breezier now, but warm enough that it’s still quite comfortable. The shore is much less crowded, making the sounds of the waves crashing into the shore and the smell of salt in the air all the more pronounced. 

 

Thanks to Noiz’s unabashed pervertedness and childlike penchant for teasing, Aoba often forgets that he can be romantic if he wants to be.

 

It’s hard not to feel the romance in the air when it’s just the two of them taking a leisurely walk on the sand while the sun is setting.

 

“Let’s sit over there,” Aoba says, pointing to the seawall, “and we can watch the sunset.”

 

Noiz doesn’t say anything in response, but he speeds up the pace and drags Aoba along by their joined hands. They pull themselves up onto the concrete structure, and Aoba leans against, Noiz, shoulder to shoulder, taking in the sight of the sky turning from oranges and pinks to purples and blacks. 

 

Aoba feels Noiz’s hand rest on his waist, and when he turns to him, he looks straight into his eyes. Aoba can feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. For a moment they simply look at each other, heartbeats quickening from being close enough that they can feel the other’s breaths on their faces. Finally, Aoba moves in for the kiss, gentle, but passionate.

 

After a few seconds he pulls away, about to suggest they return to the beach house, but Noiz’s hand makes his way to the back of his head and pulls him in for another, rougher kiss. It’s another short one, and when Noiz pulls away, he presses his forehead against Aoba’s.

 

“Dry,” he murmurs.

 

“What?” Aoba asks.

 

“Your lips are dry,” Noiz says.

 

Aoba can’t help but become slightly embarrassed, especially since he hadn’t noticed, “it’s probably from all the saltwater. If it’s bothering you we can stop-“

 

Noiz pulls him into another kiss before he can continue. He’d never noticed how soft Aoba’s lips were before, but now that they were a little rough and chapped he can feel the difference. No matter. He opens his mouth and runs his tongue over Aoba’s lips.

 

“It’s fine,” Noiz says, voice husky, “I don’t mind.”

 

Aoba swallows, loud enough that even Noiz can hear it, “let’s get back to the house,” he grips Noiz’s arm, face ablaze.

 

Instead Noiz runs his hand along Aoba’s thigh, “no need, there’s barely anyone here. I’m sure we can find a deserted patch close by.”

 

“Noiz,” Aoba says weakly, but he can feel Noiz’s breath on his neck and his warm fingers on his body, and in all honesty he’s not sure he can make it back to the house like this, “just, make sure no one’s around,” he says, and Noiz grins and jumps off the seawall, holding his hand out for Aoba to take. Aoba almost regrets agreeing when he considers the possibility of being seen, but in the end, he takes Noiz’s hand and allows himself to get swept up and away into his whims.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I got inspired to finish editing this since it's been snowing all day today. I wish I could go to a beach right now (˃ ⌑ ˂ഃ ) 
> 
> On a more related note, updates might get a little slower since I'm working on a few other fics simultaneously at the moment, as well as an original novel for nanowrimo


	7. Scrape

Sundays are supposed to be relaxing. Sundays are for sleeping in and lazing the day away in the comfort of your home.

Not, Noiz thinks bitterly, to be spent walking around aimlessly while it’s raining out.

This whole situation might be less irksome had he bothered to put on a raincoat or grab an umbrella before storming out. As it is, his sweater and jeans are completely soaked through. The resulting chill isn’t what’s bothering him though.

Space. It’s space that he needs. Or something. He’s too frustrated, too upset to think properly.

He checks his coil, and realizes it’s been upwards of an hour since he left. For about half a minute, he stands in the middle of the sidewalk, paying no mind to the dirty looks passerby are giving him.

It doesn’t feel like it’s been an entire hour. It also doesn’t feel right to be out here, alone like this.

He frowns, but eventually forces himself to turn around. He’s had enough of running away from his issues. He’s an adult now.

The sidewalks are slick from the weather. It's subtle enough that Noiz doesn’t notice while he’s lost in thought.

One awkward step is all it takes for his feet to slip and trip over an uneven crack in the sidewalk. He lurches forward and manages to keep his arms out, at least preventing any damage to his face. His palms and knees aren’t so lucky. Mostly the latter, as the brunt of his fall falls on them.

Even under the thick denim fabric of his jeans, he can feel his skin getting scraped raw from the concrete.

It takes him a few seconds to collect himself. He sits up and takes a good look at his knees. As he expected, they’re scraped up and bloody, his pants having been ripped in the process. The heels of his hands are a little tender, but in much better shape.

The sight itself is surprisingly familiar to him.

He’s seen this before.

Kids are kids, and they’ll run around with all the energy they need to expel, and because of that they’re especially prone to falling and hurting themselves. He was no exception, even with his condition.

He has plenty memories of red knees. Ones that he paid no mind to, until someone else was forced to patch them up for him.

Until now, so long as you look closely, there’s telltale discolouration, the faded but still visible scars from his childhood injuries.

Of course, back then he couldn’t have possibly felt the sharp, burning sensation it’s causing him now. It feels like his knees are on fire. He grits his teeth, because there’s nothing he can do about it here. There are bandages at home he can use. Some of that antibacterial cream as well.

He forges onwards, more slowly this time. The rain makes it hard to tell whether he feels blood or water trickling down his calves.

The burning pain eventually recedes to a steady stinging, along with a dull sort of ache.

When he reaches his door, he feels his heart clench, anger from earlier fading to nervousness. He starts to wonder if he even has the right to go back inside.

When he talks to his parents, he expects a fight. When he hears Aoba talking to Koujaku over his coil and chooses to cut in, he’d be shocked if it didn’t turn into some sort of stupid argument with the old man.

But for some reason, he just can’t believe he got into a fight with Aoba.

Logically, he knows that people fight. Even people who care about each other. He’s heard Aoba get into spats with Tae before.They’ve never gotten this mad at each other though. Not to the point where he literally stomped out of their house without even so much as a parting word.

His stomach drops.

Aoba had been calm, though heated. Noiz on the other hand, had run off like a dumb kid.

He can’t even remember what had set him off. He feels a confusing mix of emotions. Regret, irritation, guilt.

He hates this.

He can’t just stand around here all day, so he unlocks the door and opens it slowly. After making sure that the coast is clear, he kicks his shoes off and cautiously steps into the living room, leaving a small trail of puddles behind. He’s met with silence, and comes to the conclusion that Aoba must be taking a nap or listening to music in their bedroom.

He makes it to the cabinet and pulls out their first aid kit. Once he has some bandaids and disinfectant, he hobbles over to the dining room. The supplies hit the table with a clatter and he takes a seat, not caring that he’s dripping water all over the floor.

Once he wipes the blood and dirt away, the scrapes aren’t as bad as he anticipated. At least the bandages will be enough. The second he applies a bandaid to the last injury, he hears the sound of the front door opening and closing.

“Noiz?”

He tenses at the sound of Aoba’s voice. He doesn’t end up needing to respond because seconds later, Aoba walks in, large umbrella in hand. The moment he locks eyes with Noiz, he lets out a sigh of relief.

“I was worried about you,” he says, “you ran off in the rain like that- look at you, you’re soaking wet! And your knees, what happened to them?”

Noiz feels a pang of irritation, not having come home to receive a scolding. It dissipates almost instantly once Aoba leans over and hugs him, pulling his head to his chest.

“...I’m sorry,” Aoba says softly, holding him as tightly as possible.

Noiz sits there frozen, in shock. It’s strange, how a simple but sincere apology has caused crumbled every negative emotion he’d felt to crumble, leaving nothing behind but relief “…no, I’m the one who overreacted and ran off,” Noiz begins but Aoba shakes his head.

“I’m the one who said things that I shouldn’t have. If I hadn’t just-“

“That’s enough,” Noiz interrupts, clutching at Aoba’s back, “it doesn’t matter. I’m not mad anymore. I’m sorry too. For making you worry.”

“It’s fine,” Aoba says. After a few comfortable moments wrapped up in each other, he clears his throat “but you should probably change before you catch something. Don’t go out like that again. Making me run around outside looking for you like a crazy person.”

It always fills Noiz with emotion the extent that Aoba looks out for him. Makes his chest feel tight and uncomfortable.

“Aoba.”

“Hm?”

“Thanks. For everything.”

“What do you mean?” Aoba asks, pulling away to look Noiz in the eye.

“I love you.”

“…I love you too,” Aoba says. He presses a quick kiss to Noiz’s forehead. “Now go get changed, even my clothes are damp now because of you.”

“I guess you should get naked too then.”

“Who said anything about getting nake- Noiz!”

Noiz has already shoved his hands up Aoba’s shirt and started tickling around his waist. Aoba bursts into laughter and flinches, struggling to free himself from Noiz’s attack.

This, Noiz thinks, is how a Sunday should be spent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lot less fluffy than all the other chapters. Oops.


	8. Itch

“Do we really need to get you a new sweater right now?” Noiz says, absentmindedly leafing through clothing on a rack, “couldn’t it wait for the weekend? I’m tired from work.”

 

“Listen here,” Aoba says, refusing to concede to Noiz’s whining this time, “first of all: we’re here because _you_ ruined my favourite sweater last night. So you can thank yourself for that.”

 

“It was in the way,” Noiz interrupts.

 

“It wasn’t in the way of anything, you were just too eager to rip it off of me!”

 

“It was in the way,” Noiz repeats, “besides, you were begging me to tear it off you-“

 

“Not _literally._ " Aoba has to take a deep breath to calm himself at this point, "second of all,” he says, refusing to let Noiz embarrass him in public as usual, “it’s a limited edition, so if we wait until the weekend it could be out of stock.”

 

“I can get one custom made for you, if that’s what you want.”

 

“Quit wasting money needlessly!”

 

Noiz shrugs at Aoba’s outburst, “it’ s not a big deal.”

 

“...Third of all,” Aoba says, “you aren’t tired at all. You just want to get home so you can fool around.” _With me, specifically_ , he adds mentally. He doesn't have to say the obvious out loud.

 

At that Noiz crosses his arms, “so you do understand.”

 

“You’re pretty easy to figure out,” Aoba says flatly, “now help me find my size and then we can get home.”

 

Noiz doesn’t answer, but he starts sifting through the array of clothing piled on a table before them.

 

Aoba is still struggling to find one in his size- since when were mediums so hard to come by?- when a sweater on the corner of the display catches his eye. It’s a deep maroon colour with a white rabbit pattern. He immediately reaches for one. He’s pleasantly surprised to find that it’s the right size.

 

“Noiz, look!”

 

Noiz turns to him and furrows his brows, “wasn’t the one you got blue-” Before he can finish, his eyes zero in on the rabbit pattern and they widen slightly.

 

“It’s cute right? You should try it on,” Aoba teases.

 

Noiz’s face immediately reverts back to his usual blank stare.

 

“It’s fine,” he says, and Aoba snorts. It’s so obvious he’s holding back.

 

“Come on, come on, the fitting area is right there,” Aoba grabs his arm and pulls him to the hall where the rooms are located. Noiz is dragged along easily for such an ‘unwilling’ participant. Aoba shoves him into an empty room with the pullover. He then waits outside in anticipation.

 

“You have to show me how it looks on you,” Aoba says, readying his coil to take what’s sure to be an adorable picture.

 

After about two minutes (Aoba is certain he took his time just to get on his nerves) Noiz reappears, blazer tossed aside and replaced with the sweater.

 

As expected, Noiz looks cute. Way too cute. The colour suits him perfectly and it fits him like a glove. He snaps a picture before Noiz can even react.

 

He narrows his eyes and Aoba can’t help but laugh, “it looks great on you, I just had to take a picture. How do you feel about it?”

 

“It looks alright,” Noiz says, though he’s clearly more excited about it than he’s letting on, “it’s just kind of itchy,” he says, his face scrunching up.

 

“Really?” Aoba reaches for the sleeve and rubs at the fabric, “oh it’s wool. I guess that’s why.”

 

Noiz responds by scratching his shoulder, letting out a sound of relief.

 

“I guess I can’t wear this if it’s this uncomfortable,” he says, clearly disappointed.

 

Aoba resists the urge to tease him further, as cute as his pouting is, “well, granny knows a few tricks when it comes to this sort of thing. I’m sure she can come up with something.”

 

“Well I wouldn’t want to trouble her,” Noiz says, the expression on his face saying otherwise.

 

“It’s fine,” Aoba responds. Noiz resumes his itching from earlier and Aoba has to flick him on the forehead, “quit that already, it’s rude when we haven’t paid for it.”

 

Noiz looks him dead in the eye while continuing to scratch.

 

Aoba rolls his eyes, “just take it off already.”

 

“Wow Aoba, so ready to get me undressed?”

 

“Right. Definitely. In the middle of a mall while you’re itching your ass off.”

 

“Didn’t know you were into that.”

 

“Why don’t you change out of that while I go grab my sweater. That way we can hurry up and get home, and you can quit being a difficult brat.”

 

“Deal.” Noiz spins on his heels, ready to go home and finally spend some _proper_ alone time with Aoba.

 

“Wait, before you change out of it.”

 

Noiz raises an eyebrow before looking at Aoba expectantly.

 

The older man reaches over to his face and pinches both his cheeks, stretching them as far as he can.

 

“Ah, you look so adorable!” He coos as Noiz sputters and stumbles out of his grip. He stomps into the fitting room, ears a bright shade of red. Aoba has to lean against the wall for support as his laughter echoes through the corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I add a chapter and see the number of kudos and such I'm just (ﾟoﾟ)
> 
> Thanks again, I appreciate every bit of feedback I get.
> 
> Anyway, it's the end of November, so I thought 'well it's the right time of year to write about sweaters'. Especially rabbit themed ones.
> 
> By the way, I imagine Aoba's blue sweater was really tacky, judging by his tastes. Having it get torn up was probably for the best.


	9. Stub

It’s not like lifting someone is particularly easy, especially if it’s a full grown man. Noiz loves Aoba, loves everything about him, but he’s not going to deny the fact that he’s heavy.

It’s never been a problem though, not since the first time he carried him around at Heibon or the dozen or so other times he’s done it since. That’s just his point of view though. On the contrary, Aoba finds it little more than alarming. Noiz seems to enjoy just grabbing and hoisting him up out of nowhere. Then there’s also that nagging fear that Noiz will end up accidentally dropping him.

Regardless, the lifting happens and there's not much Aoba can do to stop it. Tonight is no different. At some point Noiz had managed to sneak up behind him and lift him up without warning. After Aoba’s undignified squawk, Noiz had chuckled and whispered into his ears exactly what he planned on doing to him in their bedroom.

So now Aoba is clutching at Noiz’s shoulders and looking as annoyed as he possibly can. Noiz isn’t even bothering to hide his grin, marching on ahead.

“You know you like it,” Noiz says.

“Yeah, I just love waiting for the day that you finally drop me.”

“I’ve never dropped you before.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t eventually,” Aoba says, looking up to see that Noiz’s grin has faded, replaced by a slight frown and furrowed brows.

“I’m not going to drop you,” he says, with all the stubbornness a child would have.

“It only takes one wrong step,” Aoba replies, trying not to laugh at how serious Noiz is being.

Noiz lowers his gaze to meet eyes with him, “like I said-“

At that moment, Noiz tries to successfully turn into their bedroom. He’s only slightly off, but it’s enough to cause him to stub his toe against the doorframe. He grunts at the sudden and intense pain.

For a second he doesn’t even realize that they’re falling. Once he does, he doesn’t make a sound, though his eyes widen in surprise. Aoba on the other hand, lets out a yelp as the two of them crash into the ground.

Aoba groans. He’d landed on his side, with his arm and leg taking most of the impact. He slowly sits up, wincing at the ache. He can already tell it’s only going to hurt more tomorrow. He turns his head and finds that Noiz is lying down and holding onto his foot.

“Noiz, are you okay?” Aoba crawls over to him and gives him a quick look over.

“I’m fine,” Noiz says. He slowly positions himself upright, one hand still wrapped around his foot. Somehow his toe still hurts. He would never have guessed that hitting such a small limb could be this painful.

“Are you sure?” Aoba asks, “is your foot alright?”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Noiz proves his point by removing his hand and wiggling his toes. It hurts, but it’s definitely not broken.

When Aoba sighs in relief, Noiz notices how red Aoba’s arm is below the sleeve of his t-shirt. He grabs Aoba’s hand and runs his fingers over the redness on his arm, frowning.

“Sorry,” he says, and Aoba shakes his head.

“It’s fine, it was an accident.”

“But you fell hard enough that it got like this.”

“No, it’s just a little carpet burn. I can barely feel it,” Aoba says, but Noiz’s expression remains unchanged.

“Still, I hurt you.”

Aoba’s heart aches at how crestfallen Noiz seems. He takes a deep breath before pulling his arm out of Noiz’s grip and standing up, holding his hand out.

“Come on Noiz, it’s fine. I’m fine. Accidents happen.”

Noiz’s face is still downcast, but he takes Aoba’s hand nonetheless, slowly standing up.

Aoba pats Noiz on the shoulder comfortingly for a moment, before suddenly moving his hands under him and picking him up bridal style.

Noiz jerks, shocked from the movement. Aoba tightens his grip on him.

“No sudden movements unless you want a repeat of earlier!” Aoba exclaims.

“What are you doing?”

“Just returning the favour.”

Aoba carries him to their bed without incident and drops him unceremoniously onto the sheets. He then climbs onto the bed himself and straddles Noiz. Aoba gives him a quick kiss on the forehead, and Noiz can’t help but smile in return.

“Is that all?” Noiz asks, and Aoba huffs but gives him a kiss on the cheek, then another on his other cheek, and a final one on the tip of his nose.

“There,” Aoba says, leaning so that their foreheads are touching, “is that enough?”

“Not even close,” Noiz replies, and Aoba shakes his head but leans even closer, until there’s no space between their lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been falling a lot lately for some reason. That's what actually inspired this chapter（’-’*)
> 
> Not sure how often this will be updated since I'm putting most of my energy into an original novel as well as my multichapter fic. I'm not putting this on hiatus or anything but updates might get sparse. Then again, my semester is almost over so who knows, since I'll have more time I might be able to still give this the same attention.
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for all the kudos/comments! I appreciate every bit of feedback I get!


	10. Sticky + Close

**Sticky**

 

Noiz takes another sip of coffee as Aoba updates him on the recent happenings in Midorijima. The quiet cafe they’re seated in is their favourite place to have lunch. It’s close to the office, generally not too crowded, and with tasty food to boot.

While Aoba starts telling a story he heard about some crazy fight that Mizuki had to break up at the Black Needle, Noiz reaches for the apple pastry he’d bought earlier. Aoba always insists they try new things, so he has a habit of simply picking whatever stands out to him that day in the display.

It’s covered in sugar, which is a good sign considering his tastes. He goes for a bite, not anticipating the amount of filling inside the pastry. It all comes bursting out, spilling onto his cheeks, chin, hands, and even dripping onto his jacket.

Noiz sits there and blinks while Aoba gasps. Aoba grabs a napkin and reaches over the table, wiping at Noiz’s jacket to get as much as he can off.

“How did you manage that?”

Noiz is busy trying to wipe some of the sticky apple off his hand. Before he can tell Aoba that it hadn’t exactly been his intention to make a mess of himself, Aoba moves his focus from the jacket to Noiz’s face. He grabs a new napkin and starts wiping at Noiz’s lips and chin.

“Jeez, you’re just like a kid.”

Even after Aoba moves away, his skin doesn’t feel quite clean. It still feels strangely tacky, like there’s something stuck onto it. Noiz reaches over and rubs at his face, and his fingers stick to his cheek for a split second. He licks experimentally at one of his fingers and finds that the odd sensation from earlier is gone.

Aoba sighs, “you’re going to have to wash up. I think they have a bathroom here that you can use.”

Noiz looks at Aoba for a moment before breaking into a smirk. He runs his finger along the pastry's filling then swipes a bit onto Aoba’s face.

Aoba's eyes widen in shock, “what the heck are you doing?!” He reaches for another napkin when Noiz grabs his hand and stares into his eyes. He leans over and licks the filling off Aoba's cheeks before sitting back down.

“Tastes sweet,” he says, while Aoba gapes at him.

“What are you doing in public?!” Aoba says, head whipping around to see if anyone saw. To his horror, the woman working at the register is giggling over in their direction.

“You can get the rest off of me,” Noiz says, leaning in again. Aoba shoves his hand against his face to keep him from advancing any further.

“Hell no!”

 

 

 

**Close**

 

Noiz finishes towelling his hair dry and tosses the towel in question onto a chair.

“Noiz, you can’t just throw that anywhere you want,” Aoba admonishes.

“I’m pretty sure the clothes all over the bedroom floor belong to you,” Noiz says, smirking when Aoba sinks into the couch instead of responding.

Noiz walks over to him and surveys the area. Aoba absentmindedly pats the seat beside him, his attention focussed on the TV. It’s some sort of Japanese movie with German subtitles.

Noiz finds that he isn’t interested in it at all, rather, he's interested in Aoba. Without a shred of hesitation, he takes a seat on Aoba’s lap, back against the arm rest and legs stretched out over the rest of the cushions. Aoba flinches at the sudden weight on his thighs.

“Geh! What are you doing?”

“Sitting down,” Noiz says plainly.

“What are you, some sort of big baby?”

“You’re comfy,” he throws one arm around Aoba’s shoulders and leans in closer. He loves being close to Aoba like this, where he can feel the heat of his body, put his hand over Aoba's stomach and perceive the rise and fall as he breathes, when they’re close enough that he can rest his head against his chest and listen to his heart beating.

“...I was watching something,” Aoba says.

“So keep watching, I’m not blocking your view.”

“You- fine,” Aoba says coolly, grabbing the remote and pointedly turning the volume up.

Aoba returns his attention to the TV, which doesn't deter Noiz. He starts rubbing Aoba’s arm up and down in slow motions, eventually moving to trace soft circles on his neck. Aoba remains stubbornly fixated on the movie, but Noiz can see the way he’s starting to knit his brows.

He decides to take it up a notch. Noiz moves into the crook of Aoba’s neck, peppering small, soft kisses up the length and stopping when he reaches Aoba’s ear. He looks over at Aoba, still staring ahead, but the redness of his face is clear as day. Grinning, Noiz gives one kiss to the outer shell of his ear before starting to nibble at it, occasionally flicking his tongue out.

He hears Aoba’s breath hitch, but he still refuses to respond, instead turning the volume up even higher.

“You’ll bother the neighbours,” Noiz whispers into his ear, delighted to feel Aoba shudder.

“Maybe if someone wasn’t distracting me-“

Noiz silences him by pressing their lips together. After a moment, Aoba closes his eyes and leans in with a sigh, wrapping his arms around Noiz’s waist and pulling him closer. Starting to feel impatient, Noiz bites at his bottom lip and tugs it, leaving Aoba to moan.

“We should move,” Aoba says, and for once Noiz agrees. In his haste, he tries to move up to straddle Aoba instead. At the same moment Aoba himself is trying to shift, assuming they’re going to the bedroom. Within seconds, the two become entangled in each other and topple over onto the carpet, both cursing as they fall with a thud. Aoba lands on top of Noiz with a groan.

“Shit- ah, Noiz are you okay?”

“I’m fine. This is fine,” Noiz grabs Aoba and pulls him closer.

“Wait, Noi- mmph!”

To Noiz’s glee, Aoba doesn’t even try to argue, instead enthusiastically reciprocating the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I rose from the dead to finally update this. Sorry, I've had some issues getting much writing done lately but I finally feel up to it again! I was only able to write short scenes which is why I posted both at once. I just wanted to thank you all so much for every comment/kudos/etc. I'm not too confident in my writing abilities, but it makes me really happy to see that some people like my writing enough to give me feedback, so I'm really truly grateful for all that I've received (´∀｀)♡


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